Deal or no deal?

In the pre-election environment everyone was running away from a reported Queen Victoria Market deal between building unions and the Lord Mayor – everyone, that is, except Team Doyle.

The Age newspaper had earlier run a prominent story about an alleged secret deal to ensure the QVM redevelopment.

Council administration distanced itself from the suggestion that such a deal was actually possible. The alleged offer from Team Doyle was already council policy (championed by The Greens). And the unions involved felt compelled to front traders on October 18 to claim that no such deal had been done.

Team Doyle didn’t need to say anything. It had been heroically portrayed as saving the market from (mythical) militant green bans.